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At Nuttallburg, deep in the New River Gorge, the National Park Service (NPS) has turned back the clock for you. Through federal grants, the NPS has restored the coal mine and town site of Nuttallburg and opened it for the public in 2011. The coal mine was first established by English entrepreneur John Nuttall in 1870 and became the second town in the New River Gorge to ship smokeless coal. Nuttallburg was a bustling mining community by the turn of the century, continuing to thrive under the direction of his heirs after Nuttall's death in 1897. In 1920 Nuttallburg gained national attention when the automobile industrialist Henry Ford took over the mines. He pioneered new engineering and management systems including a conveyor system called �button and rope.� Nevertheless, Ford�s innovations failed to thrive at Nuttallburg, and he sold his interests eight years later in 1928.  Nuttallburg Tipple Mining Site Restored After passing through three different owners, the mine was finally ...

Need to do a spot of mugging with the looming exams? Maybe your current study space is just too distracting? Maybe you feel you need a new area to recharge? Check out these 10 conducive and free (!) study spots in NYP that may just help you nail that final paper! 1. Tutorial Rooms around campus Till Aug 31, tutorial rooms are now open for self-study till 10 pm. Refer to the table below and head to your favourite room now! Critical notes � Air-con - Yes, but it can get chilly sometimes, so do bring a jacket! � Power sockets - Plenty! � Noise level - Depends on the students in the tutorial room! � Discussion-friendly - Yes! 2. Smart Learning Hub at the Library In case you haven�t heard, the Smart Learning Hub at the North Wing of the library just opened last week! Perfect timing! This brand new brightly lit area is great for self-study, research and group discussions. There are plenty of tables and chairs in cosy configurations. If you need to take a break, there�s also a lounge are...

The Greenbrier River Trail (GRT) is undoubtedly one of the best hiking and biking venues in West Virginia. But a closer look at the GRT reveals that there�s much more to being a traveler along this long and winding road through our State. For my wife, Phyllis, and me the main attraction is wildflowers. From the first bloodroot of spring to that last blossom of fall, we search the state for wildflowers and their hang-outs. The New River Gorge is a haven for spring wildflowers, but by summer we turn our attention elsewhere to maintain the hunt. Last July, on a tip by our friend Drema Morgan, a WV South writer and photographer, we headed out to the GRT. She reported seeing a Turk�s cap lily on the southern end of the trail. That was enough to send Phyllis and me out the door and down the road. After downloading a trail map, we decided to start at the North Caldwell trailhead at milepost 3. From Beckley it was an easy drive on I-64 East to Exit 169 at Lewisburg. From there we drove north o...

Can you imagine a West Virginia State Park about 80 miles long and only 100 feet wide? If so, then you have pictured the Greenbrier River Trail State Park, which has the distinction of being both the longest and the skinniest State Park in West Virginia. It is long and skinny because it is a former railroad bed that has been converted into a trail. Previously part of the Greenbrier Division of the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway (C&O), trains carried freight and passengers along the banks of the Greenbrier River in Pocahontas and Greenbrier Counties for nearly 80 years. But when the line became unprofitable in the 1970s, C&O eventually donated the corridor to the state in 1978. By 1980 the old railroad bed had been authorized by the State Legislature for public use as a rail trail according to Jody Spencer, Park Superintendent. Gail Hyer of the Pocahontas County Convention and Visitors Bureau noted that the trail suffered damage in the flood of 1985 that wasn�t fully repaired until...